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luff

(lŭf)

a. The act of sailing closer into the wind.

b. The forward edge of a fore-and-aft sail.

2. Archaic The fullest part of the bow of a ship.

v. luffed, luff·ing, luffs

v.intr.

1. To steer a sailing vessel closer into the wind, especially with the sails flapping.

2. To flap while losing wind. Used of a sail.

v.tr.

1. To sail closer into the wind during a race so as to prevent (an opponent's boat) from passing on the windward side.

2. To raise or lower (the boom of a crane or derrick).

[Middle English lof, spar holding out the windward tack of a square sail, from Old French, probably of Germanic origin.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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